Hairspring remover for watches and the like



l25, 1939. WM SEWARD 2,167,089

jHAIRSPRING HEMOVER FOR WATCHES AND THE LIKE 'Filed sept. 29, 1957,..

Patented July 25, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIQE HAIRSPRING REMOVER FOR WATCHES AND THE- LIKE This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in hair spring remover for watches and the like.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a hair spring remover especially designed for removing hair springs from small wrist watches in which the remover is in the form of a tool engageable with the collet of the balance or hair spring rendering it unnecessary to otherwise handle the spring with the latter remaining engaged with the tool until ready for replacement in the watch.

A further object of the invention is to provide a tool of the foregoing character of a size especially adapted for handling the hair spring of a small wrist watch or chronometer, the tool having tapered threaded ends adapted for engagement in the side slot of the collet, in which slot the inner end of the balance or hair spring is anchored.

With the above and other objects in view that will become apparent as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel form, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, shown in the accompanying drawing and claimed.

In the drawing- Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a hair spring remover constructed in accord-ance with the present invention.

Figure 2 is an enlarged side elevational view, broken away showing the pointed and blunt tapered threaded ends of the tool with the roughened intermediate portion to facilitate handling thereof.

Figure 3 is an end elevation of the blunt end of the tool, and

Figure 4 is a plan view of a balance wheel with the collet of the hair spring mounted on the balance staff and illustrating the side slot in the collet in which one end of the tool is received.

The device is preferably constructed of tool steel and appropriate proportions thereof embodying a length of approximately one and onequarter inches and a di-ameter of one-thirty second of an inch, the tool being circular in crosssection. The tool embodies an intermediate grip portion 5 roughened upon its surface to facilitate manipulation thereof while opposite ends of the tool are tapered as at 6 and l, the tapered ends 6 terminating in a pointed end 6a while the taper-ed end I terminates in a blunt end 1a. The tapered ends 6 and I are threaded over the entire length thereof, the threads running approximately two hundred to the inch.

A balance Wheel 8 is illustrated in Figure 4 and with which a hair spring 9 is associated, the outer end of the h-air spring carrying the usual stud I0 that is placed in proper relation to a 'v roller jewel. The hair spring 9 is attached at its in'ner end to the collet I I, the collet being provid-ed with a side opening slot or notch I2 in which the inner end of the hair spring is anchored.

In removing a hair spring from a small wrist watch or the like, the pointed end 6a of the tool is positioned in the side notch I2 of the collet II and a short turn of the tool by gripping the intermediate roughened portion 5 thereof will cause the threaded tapered end 6 to be engaged with the side Walls of the collet notch I2 and at which time a pull on the tool will disengage the collet II from the balance staff I3. In replacing the hair spring in the watch, a reverse oper-ation is effected, it being understood that the hair spring may be retained upon the tool end and when the collet II is placed upon the balance staff I3,

slight rotation of the tool will disengage the t threaded tapered end from the collet notch walls and the coll-et m-ay be suitably pressed upon the balance staff to be frictionally retained in position thereon. Should the side notch I2 in the collet II be of too great a diameter to take the l pointed end ta of the tool, the latter may be reversed and the blunt end 'Ia presented to the notch with increased diameter at its point of engagement with the collet notch wall.

From the above detailed description of the invention, it is believed that the construction and operation thereof will at once be apparent, and while there is herein shown and described the preferred embodiment of the invention, it is nevertheless to be understood that minor changes may be made therein without departing 

